Obesity should be classified as disease, American Medical Association says

Obesity is now a disease, according to the American Medical AssociationGetty Images

The American Medical Association Wednesday voted to work with the federal government to try and remove soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps.

The move comes one day after the AMA voted to classify obesity as a disease, a change that could affect the care, diagnoses and treatment of more than 78 million adults and 12 million children.

“Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans,” AMA board member Patrice Harris said. “The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes and is working to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes, which are often linked to obesity.”

This is more than just semantics, said Kenneth Storch, director of Atlantic Health's metabolic program at Overlook hospital, and an internist specializing in obesity and metabolism.

Storch said doctors were prone to treat symptoms of obesity such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or sleep apnea rather than treating the underlying cause — obesity. This new designation could encourage doctors to take a more proactive role with medications or surgeries, as opposed to only recommending diet and exercise.

The other reason this could change the lives of millions of Americans, Storch said, is because the AMA's new classification has the potential to put pressure on insurance companies to cover certain procedures and medications associated with obesity.

"The third parties have more of a gun to their head to reimburse these services," he said.

Specifically, drugs like Qsymia and Belviq, which treat obesity, are not covered by all insurance companies, Storch said, "and even the use of those medications will be pushed forward by this."

The AMA's push to remove sugary drinks from the SNAP program comes after numerous studies have shown a link between these types of beverages and obesity.

Studies also show sugar-sweetened drinks account for 58 percent of beverages purchased with food stamps, according to the AMA.

“The AMA is working to improve the nation’s health care outcomes, particularly cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which are often linked to obesity,” said AMA President Ardis D. Hoven. “Removing sugar-sweetened beverages from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will help encourage healthier beverage choices.”

The new policy, voted on by the nation's largest group of physicians, also calls on the AMA to encourage state health agencies to include nutrition information in routine materials sent to SNAP recipients.

"I think it is wonderful," Storch said. "This is a giant leap forward and is going to leave more money on the table for healthy foods."

Obesity is measured using the Body Mass Index, which calculates a person's height and weight to determine whether a person is underweight, average, overweight or obese -- and there are three levels of obesity. The standards were set by the World Health Organization.

For a 5-foot-9 adult, the system considers 124 pounds or less as underweight; 125 to 168 pounds as healthy; 169 to 202 pounds as overweight; 203 to 236 pounds as Grade 1 obese; 237 to 270 pounds as Grade 2 obese; and above 270 pounds as Grade 3 obese.

In New Jersey, about 61 percent of adults are overweight, meaning their BMI is between 25 and 30. About 24 percent of adults are obese, with a BMI of 30 or higher, according to the CDC, and 17 percent of children, ages 2 through 5, were obese.

The AMA's yearly meeting produces a series policy recommendations for doctors and government. In addition to its votes on obesity and SNAP, the AMA on Tuesday recommended the Food and Drug Administration remove its lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men.

“The lifetime ban on blood donation for men who have sex with men is discriminatory and not based on sound science,” said AMA Board Member William Kobler. “This new policy urges a federal policy change to ensure blood donation bans or deferrals are applied to donors according to their individual level of risk and are not based on sexual orientation alone.”